Part of the Team
by Hopelessromantic721
Summary: Rocket doesn't like the new members of the team. Mantis especially. But maybe with some consideration, something can grow... Friendship/crushing little one shots to show the cuter side of their relationship.


Rocket moved through the halls, tapping his claws against the metal as he went to mark his territory. Peter earlier made a little snark about how the ship belonged to him since it had his name on it. Obviously the raccoon decided to be an ass and just claw up the interior to get back at the smug Captain.

He hated how he is captain. Hated how they were going all over the place to talk to people more often instead of doing the usual drifting around for fun. He hated how Gamora would check his bag every time they left a planet to make sure he didn't take anything with him. And a couple times she caught him stuffing stolen goods into his suit and shook him upside down to get them out. He hated how that new kid with the fin on his head was trying to be like Yondu with that whistling practice. Even more so when Peter would help him based on the memories he had with the old man. He hated how Drax started to bond more with Groot on little tasks like shirking off on chores in favor to train for hours. Groot made it obvious he rather would work his ass off than actually clean up after himself.

And he _especially_ hated how that new chick hung around.

Whatever happened to just being their old five member team? They were doing just fine before. Now it's just too cluttered.

Ever since she was brought on board, she would be constantly doing things unnecessary. Like cleaning up after others when a mess was just fine. Gamora obviously liked a cleaner ship, but Rocket wanted his mess right where it was. It was better.

When he scattered his screws on the floor on purpose, he returned to see them actually set in a row according to size and how much rust was on them. A note was even added to the bunch pointing out which ones were cracked. With hearts all over no less!

He hated how she would cook meals sometimes and they were actually good and he would somehow find himself fighting with the others to get third's. Hated how he felt like he wanted MORE of what she made and felt like an idiot for showing to the others he liked her cooking most of all. Peter would more than once make fun of him for that.

But worst of all, he hated when she would talk to him.

Every time she would see him, she would try to start a conversation. Asking things... Like where he came from, what species he was (since he made it clear he wasn't a puppy), and how he met Groot. Personal questions nobody should EVER ask him. Ever.

At first he avoided her like the plague. That touching business was a no go for him right from the get go. Even when she promised not to "empathy" him, Rocket would run up anything to keep her grabby mitts from him. Of course it hurt her feelings, but he could give a crap about people's feelings. That's how he was.

Keyword, _was_.

Slowly, he started to warm up without realizing it. It started with trips into his workshop and she would sit there quietly for hours unend. He'd ignore her hoping she'd take the hint and leave. She never did. Yelling at her never sold the problem. She'd just look sad and that was worst.

One day He blurted out, "Where is my wrench?" and she just magically held it out to him with that weird smile on her face. From then on, he would continue to ignore her until he asked out loud his needed tools. Hammer, proton fuser, tape, whatever. She would hand it over to him or run out of the room to grab it. Just for him.

The raccoon will admit, he messed with her more than once. Sending her out of the room to grab things that didn't belong to her and laughing his ass off when the owner (namely Peter) would come storming in yelling in fury but would actually hold back when it was the girl that stole them. Eventually they, (namely Peter) caught on with the jokes and would straight up yell at Rocket instead. That fun lasted shorter than he hoped, but it was a good time.

He remembered the second time she actually joined in laughing with him at one of his pranks and it was nice to have someone on his side for once for a good laugh. Of course in Rocket's opinion, she was a little dense, but that led to more laughs on his end most of the time.

On the days Groot was in the room with them, he would talk out loud about his advenures with the old Groot. The little guy loved hearing them and he took notice how she would too. She would listen and pipe in a question now and again, overly eager to hear him speak, and Rocket was never one to shy away from boasting his stories.

Things were shifting towards good things...

But then the...incident happened.

It was after a particular good mission that everyone was very happy about. Things were going haywire and falling apart until the last moment the Guardians of the Galaxy actually came out on top and saved the day. Celebration was fresh among them; Drax was dancing with Kraglin, Gamora and Peter were actually making out in front of everyone for once, and Groot was throwing flowers everywhere. He was in the middle of yelling happily when something wrapped around his body. Something warm and soft snaked under his arms and lifted him up.

He was confused at first before hearing a happy voice in his left ear, "We did it! We did it, Rocket!"

Something in him reacted instantly. He didn't know if it was the animal in him or the old years of being experimented on, but he didn't take to being grabbed without his permission nicely.

He whirled around, claws out and scratched at her face. Twice. Thrice. Four times.

It was 2 seconds too late he realized what he did and saw he had sliced at one of her feelers. The bottom of his stomach dropped as she saw her drop back from him, holding her hands over her face to hide the blood and tears. The cheering stopped and everyone had different reactions to the scene.

Of course a majority were pissed at him, with Drax ready to tear out his tail, while Groot and Kraglin comforted the girl. He didn't know what to do with the guilt he felt. So he got angry to hide it. He yelled right back at everyone, trying to say it was her fault for grabbing her. The celebration was short lived, and when they arrived for their reward, the air was tense and bittersweet.

Of course he felt like a jerk. But it was going just fine until she overstepped her boundaries.

For a full day he didn't see her. He told himself he didn't care. But he knew that was a lie. And he hated it. He hated HER for making her feel this way. He was just fine where he was. Why did she had to ruin it?

The day she returned with bandages over her face, he tried to play it off like nothing happened. But he failed. Miserably.

When she spotted him, Rocket just got up to walk out of the room, unable to look at her. He didn't want her to see him, just so she could yell at him for breaking her face. So, he kept at it. Every room she was in, he would step out. Every time he knew she called for him, he'd run from it. A week of this dodging game went on until she started to get the hint. She finally stopped asking for him or going into his workshop, respecting his privacy.

He told himself this was for the best. Avoiding her was best for both of them least he did something else to mess things up.

But then he saw pie in his room; Notes on his chair when he'd go pilot the ship. Hand made trinkets like buttons for his suit showing up in the places he'd usually go to. And they all said the same thing to him.

 _"Sorry I hugged you. I should have asked first."_

The guilt was eating away at him more and more but he was at a point he couldn't just go up to her and say sorry. It was too late! He was an ass to her before and to do it now would only make it look like he was saying sorry only because she was saying it first, when in actuality he wanted to say it since day one.

He had to think of a way to do it properly.

Thinking really hard, Rocket came to the conclusion to help her fighting skills. She was having difficulty on the battlefield. Half the time she'd just hide and jump at enemies to put them to sleep, yet it's the part of her running away that made things difficult for her. She'd sometimes get caught for not being fast enough or trip over herself. It was aggravating to watch and frustrating for her, of course.

Rocket knew what to do.

It took him days to finish the idea but he did it. And once he finished the "gift", he left it in her bedroom for her to find and ran back to his workshop to hide.

That should be enough, right?

Apparently it was.

Not an hour later she came barging into the workshop, calling out his name. Rocket turned around hesitantly to see her not there. Looking around for a moment, her form reappeared above him. She was wearing it. The wings on her back fluttered and she pressed the invisible cloaking device to disappear and reappear. Showing her big wide smile.

"I love it!" she cheered, hovering over the ground, her face as bright and brilliant as a sun.

Rocket hated to feel anything towards anyone. Whether it was gratitude, sympathy, or even a content moment.

But right now, he was feeling like he wanted to feel what he felt right then for years to come.


End file.
